Methane prediction based on individual or groups of milk fatty acids for dairy cows fed rations with or without linseed.

Milk fatty acids (MFA) are a proxy for the prediction of CH emission from cows, and prediction differs with diet. Our objectives were (1) to compare the effect of diets on the relation between MFA profile and measured CH production, (2) to predict CH production based on 6 data sets differing in the number and type of MFA, and (3) to test whether additional inclusion of energy-corrected milk (ECM) yield or dry matter intake (DMI) as explanatory variables improves predictions. Twenty dairy cows were used.